Winnipeg Show Celebrates Robert Archambeau

Robert Archambeau

The Winnipeg Art Gallery's latest exhibition features the work of Winnipeg ceramic artist Robert Archambeau.

The show, A Conversation in Clay, is curated by gallery director Stephen Borys, and is on view until March 10.

It brings together more than 40 ceramic pieces produced over several decades, including a group of important works the artist donated to the gallery.

Archambeau says his work distills "the magic and mystery that surrounds me ... and at its best is serene, rich in detail, detached from the mundane, and timeless."

The Ohio-born potter arrived in Winnipeg in 1968 to teach ceramics at the University of Manitoba.

His functional vessels are immediately identifiable from their confident profiles, subtle wood-fired glazes and meticulous finishes. His work exhibits a command of form and technique, with textures and glazes influenced by Asian ceramics and the rural Manitoba landscape.

In 2003, Archambeau became the first Manitoba artist to receive the Governor General’s Award in Visual and Media Arts. He has exhibited internationally and has had three previous solo exhibitions at the Winnipeg Art Gallery, which holds a large selection of his work in its collection.

The public is invited to celebrate the show from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. on Nov. 30.